Rabbi Ovadia of Bartenura: The Scholar Who Rebuilt Jewish Life in Jerusalem

From Italian Banker to Torah Pioneer

Anyone who has studied the Mishnah is familiar with the name Rabbi Ovadia of Bartenura. For nearly five centuries, his commentary on the Mishnah has been printed as the default explanation, much like Rashi on the Chumash and Talmud. Yet few know the remarkable story of the man behind the commentary.

Rabbi Ovadia was born in the northern Italian town of Bartenura, near the Adriatic Sea. His full signature, “Ovadia Yareh of Bartenura,” contains a mysterious second name, “Yareh,” possibly a personal blessing (“Yehi Ritzuy Echav” -he shall be pleasing to his brothers) or a reference to the verse “Ovadia feared (yareh) Hashem greatly” (I Kings 18:3).

He studied under Rabbi Yosef Colon in Bologna. After marrying, he became a banker in Città di Castello. A papal decree from February 12, 1485, lists him as one of the city’s authorized Jewish lenders and exempts all Jewish bankers from doing business on Shabbat and festivals.

But in 1486, tragedy struck, and his wife passed away. In response, Rabbi Ovadia decided to embark on a spiritual mission: to visit the Jewish diaspora and ultimately settle in the Land of Israel. He left behind his home, community, and business and began a slow, deliberate journey eastward, documenting his experiences in a travel journal that would later become a historical treasure.

A Leader Across Lands

Rabbi Ovadia did not travel as a mere tourist. In every community he visited, he met with local sages, delivered sermons, and taught Torah. In the Sicilian city of Palermo, he gave a public lecture on the dangers of gossip and warned against excessive mingling with non-Jews. The community, deeply impressed, begged him to stay. Although he declined, he remained for several months, teaching and strengthening the local Jews until after Sukkot.

That winter, he sailed to Egypt with the famous scholar Rabbi Meshullam of Volterra. Unfortunately, Rabbi Meshullam was removed from the ship due to alleged irregularities in his documents. Rabbi Ovadia continued on to Cairo, where he was welcomed by the local Jewish leadership, including Rabbi Natan ben Chaim HaKohen, who tried to convince him to remain in the city. They warned him about the dangers of Mamluk rule in Eretz Yisrael, but Rabbi Ovadia would not be deterred. His heart was set on Jerusalem.

Due to the harsh winter, he remained in Egypt until spring. Finally, in time for Pesach 1488, he arrived in Jerusalem, where he found only seventy impoverished Jewish families who were so destitute they lacked even a Sefer Torah for public reading. Fortunately, Rabbi Ovadia, an experienced banker, was able to draw funds from accounts back in Italy and used his resources to support the community and provide them with a proper Torah scroll.

Rebuilding Jerusalem with Torah and Compassion

His Torah greatness was soon recognized, and he was appointed Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem. He delivered regular sermons, initiated public Torah study, oversaw charitable funds, and personally established the city's chevra kadisha (burial society), participating himself in the mitzvah (Divine commandment) of burying the dead. He also restored an ancient synagogue in the Jewish Quarter and became one of the central figures in the revival of Jewish life in the city.

When the Spanish Expulsion devastated European Jewry, several Spanish sages came to Jerusalem. Rabbi Ovadia established a yeshiva for them, securing ongoing support from wealthy patrons abroad.

Rabbi David ben Zimra (the Radbaz) later wrote: “This man was renowned for his wisdom and stood as the head of all rabbis in Jerusalem. Though he was an Ashkenazi-trained scholar, he was well-versed in the writings of the early authorities. He passed away less than forty years ago, and all the sages of France, Spain, and Ashkenaz in Jerusalem deferred to him.”

Even Rabbi Yosef Karo, author of the Shulchan Aruch, quotes his teachings.

The Legacy of a Visionary Traveler

Rabbi Ovadia’s travel journals offer vivid descriptions of 15th-century Eretz Yisrael:

• “Despite its ruins, Jerusalem has four long, beautiful marketplaces, unlike anything I saw in Rome or elsewhere.”

• “The Western Wall still stands. Its stones are massive and unlike anything I’ve seen in ancient buildings.”

• “Only seventy poor Jewish families remain… widows, elderly, and the destitute. They welcome every new settler with honor and hope…”

• “There is no religious persecution by the Ishmaelites, and they are not jealous of Jewish gatherings.”

• “The tomb of our master Shmuel the Ramati remains in Jewish hands, and Jews from all around come to pray there on his yahrzeit (the anniversary of his death), lighting great torches…”

Rabbi Ovadia of Bartenura passed away in Jerusalem and was buried on the eastern side of the City of David, at the foot of the Mount of Olives, in the section known as Chelek HaSefaradim.

More than just a commentator on the Mishnah, Rabbi Ovadia was a spiritual builder who restored a holy city, strengthened broken communities, and illuminated the way for generations to come.